Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more

Download & Play

Questions

Newspaper Page Text

STRONG EDITORIAL
ON TRUST QUESTION
The Work of the American Congress—The Importance of
Selecting Men Who Represent the People's Interests—
Democratic Platform on Trust Question—Relations of
The Chicago American had the fol­
lowing very able editorial in last Sun­
day's issue:
Various influences have brought
about the present industrial situation
in the United States and the threaten­
ing power of the trusts and their man­
agers.
Most influential has been the na­
tural, inevitable tendency toward con­
centration of power. Natural laws,
•which can never be thwarted, 'have
brought about the elimination of com­
petition and the substitution of wide
organization for the separate strug­
gling, scheming and competing of in­
dividuals.
Nothing could have prevented ulti­
mately the growth of great Industrial
combinations. One feature of our
economic system, the tariff, has fa­
cilitated the trust development, and
pushed it forward with a rapidity un.
healthy in itself, and productive of
recklessness and arrogance among
trust leaders.
The trusts have been organized to
exploit through elimination of compe­
tition. And tariff laws, masquerading
as "measures of protection for the
•individual
workingman," have built
ii protecting wall around the trusts
and their extortions.
The Beef Trust charges what it
pleases. In reply to protests, it points
with a sneer to the tariff wall and
says
Pay what I say. for that wall keeps
you in my power."
With the avaricious heads of indus­
trial trusts the great railroad corpora­
tions have
co-operated
Tariff and Trusts—Public Ownership of Public Fran'
chises.
faithfully and
effectively.
Now comes the great Ship Trust, to
join with the railroads in fixing the
trust net firmly over the whole coun­
try.
There .,iSL 1 ™ork
marked out in the immediate future
for the people of this country, which
means for the national congress.
Thp most important man in the
country today is the candidate for con­
gress.
Congress alone representing the
whole people, ctin deal with the situ­
ation. And this is the situation, as it
stands at present:
In the state of Pennsylvania are
buried the beds
of
anthracite coal
upon which millions of people rely for
protection
against the Winter. One
trust has in its power all of these
coal
beds. It is fortified by absolute
monopoly, by a
c»nspiracy
In which
the railroads support it.
Steadily this coal trust has increas­
ed the price of coal, and patiently the
people have submitted to the succes­
sive increases.
But now comes a new development:
There is a strike in the coal regions
the men that dig the coal out of the
ground demand decent treatment.
They have been overworked, under­
paid and notoriously robbed In the
weighing of the coal which they dig
out of the earth. The trust weighs
the coal itself and compels the miner
to produce about nine hundred pounds
extra for every ton.
The trust calmly says that it will
not make any agreement with its
workmen, and it cannot mine the coal
without them.
And the trust says insolently to the
whole people:
"You can pay twenty dollars a ton
now and freeze afterwards. For you
*hall have no coal until these miners
start to work under my orders at wages
fixed by me."
One of the coal trust managers, Mr.
Baer, has said to the people over his
own signature that God has given the
coal beds to a handful of trust mana­
gers to use at their discretion.
They propose to starve their miners
into submission and incidentally to
freeze the rest of the population to car­
ry their point.
In this Coal Trust situation we have
the natural evolution of the trust ques­
tion. The same thing may be repeat­
ed in any one of the trusts, while mon­
opolies, tariffs and railroads combine to
exploit the situation.
The meat trust doubles prices and
the patient, stupid people submit. What
will they do when a strike or some oth­
er complication cuts off the meat or
puts it absolutely beyond the reach of
nine-tenths of the people?
The industrial resources, and the
natural wealth of the country, form­
erly enriched many individuals of pecu­
liar enterprise. They offered an open
field to ambition, energy and special
ability.
Now the country's wealth, the coun­
try's opportunities,^the country's coal,
iron, oil, sugar, meat, lead, ice—all ne­
cessities are in the hands of a few indi­
viduals, and the nation is drifting to­
ward a condition which will give us a
few preposterously rich inen and a
population of clerks—a situation to be
aggravated by coal or meat famines
and by the rioting of workingmen made
desperate through monopoly of the la­
bor field.
There can be no doubt in the mind
of any man that something has got to
be done to meet this situation.
The tariff gives the trusts their pow­
er to a certain extent—and a congress
must be elected that will deal sanely
and fearlessly with the tariff.
The tariff remedy alone will not
meet the situation. The tariff could
do nothing with the coal situation.
The congress of the United States
must deal with the question of ownei
ship and control of the great national
monopolies, the railroads and othei
public franchises.
This question of government owner­
ship is no longer a theory, is no longer
in the stage of discussion. It can no
longer be sneeringly dismissed by the
ultra-prosperous as a ridiculous com­
munistic dream. It is the important,
pressing question of the hour.
The Democratic platform of the
state of New York, written under con­
servative influences, demands that the
government shall seize, own and ope­
rate the anthracite coal beds—with due
compensation to present "owners."
Every sane person realizes and ad­
mits the justice of this demand. There
is no question as to the soundness of
government ownership when the alter­
native is to freeze. The egregiously
stupid coal trust must be thanked for
presenting the issue of government
ownership so squarely to the people.
And a Democratic house of repre­
sentatives must be elected to realize
the people's will. There is no element
of partisan politics in this editorial.
The politics of the United States has
progressed beyond the point of parti­
sanship. There is nothing partisan
about this question.
Shall nine-tenths of the wealth of
the United States be owned by nine or
ten trusts, or by the whole people?
It is knowrn that the trusts depend
on Republican supremacy for theip*
ity with which they defy such anti­
trust laws as exist, and for future law.s
to facilitate their operations.
Every honest Republican, as well as
every Democrat, knows perfectly well
that every trust, without exception,
hopes and works and spends its money
for the election of a Republican house
of representatives.
Every Republican knows in his heart
that he must vote to elect a Demo­
cratic congress or give up hope of reg­
ulating the present steady movement
towards the absorption of the national
wealth in a few individual hands.
The New York state Democratic
platform, which demands the govern­
ment ownership and operation of the
anthracite coal beds, brings to a focus
the present great industrial question.
It will add energy and emphasis to the
desperate efforts of the trusts to keep
their hold on the United States con*
gress.
The giant among trusts, the Stand­
ard Oil company, issues certificates
which earn eighty per cent dividends
on a hundred millions of stock.
The only picture on these certificates
is a picture of the capitol at Washing­
ton, in which congress sits, and that
picture is an apt indication of th«
Standard Oil trust's principal asset.
The plank of the Democrats which
demands government ownership of the
coal beds arouses the antagonism and
terror of every trust. It attacks and
threatens every trust, because it in­
volves necessarily government control
of tne railroads.
This Democratic plank is the best
possible and the strongest possible in­
troduction into wide government own­
ership.
If the government is to control the
coal beds it must control the railroads
to get the coal to market.
There is no use glossing over or con­
cealing the real meaning of this Dem­
ocratic plank. The trusts and the rail­
roads have no illusions on the subject.
It is the realization of the idea which
this newspaper has been persistently
advocating ever since Its establish­
ment.
Public ownership of public franchis­
es.
The same Democratic platform that
demands government ownership of the
coal beds has incorporated within it
another plank from this newspaper's
policy, namely:
The election of senators by the peo­
ple.
This editorial is published today in
New York City, in Chicago and in San
Francisco. It is read, and we earnestly
trust that it will be discussed and com­
mented upon, by at least three mill,
ions of American voters.
VOL. 7, No. 46 DULUTH AND SUPERIOR, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1902.
at
once•
HON
,r
Among these three millions of men,
very many, including thoughtful and
conscientious citizens, have in the past
paid slight attention to the choice of
United States representatives.
This choice of your Congressman
should be today your most earnest
thought. The voters of the country, if
they elect a Democratic house of re­
presentatives, will make it clear that
they are serious on the trust question.
The election of a Democratic house
of representatives will prove that the
people of the country are in earnest, it
will frighten the trusts temporarily in-
Will the miners win their strike?
They cannot afford to lose. Organized
labor cannot afford to have them lose.
They must not be forced back to work
through want. Now is the time when
every man must do his duty. The pub­
lic, and all those who believe in fair
play who stand for justice and hu­
manity should give their might towards
the relief of the miners. The Labor
World has raised $157 in a month.
Some unions have subscribed liberally.
Others have appeared to be indifferent.
Some business men have been more
liberal than some unions. Over at
Brainerd they raised $324 in an enter­
tainment, We repeat what we have
.the atrUdng gil^
must be supported, if not on better,
than at least on bread, that their man­
hood may be maintained, and their
struggle if necessary continued.
Organized labor, and many sympa­
thizers, are splendidly responding to
the appeal for financial assistance, but,
as can be well understood, large ex­
penditures are involved in maintaining
the needy miners, their wives- and
children, even in the commonest neces­
saries of life.
Remember and make all checks pay­
able to A. V. Johnson, treasurer of the
Labor World Miners' Aid Fund, and
send same direct to this office.
News of the Strike.
Unless President Mitchell's hurried
visit to New York bears fruit, the end
of the Mine Workers' strike seems a
long way off and the prospect of suf­
ficient coal being mined to satisfy the
public demand is extremely poor.
Every local union of the miners' or­
ganization throughout the hard coal
belt held special meetings, either Tues­
day night or Wednesday, and resolved
GOOD AT BRAINtRD
TRADES ASSEMBLY THERE RAISES
LARGE SUM FOR MIXERS.
Have Oilier C'itien of the State Out­
done in Concert receipts—Every
body In Town Tnrns Ont to Help
the Miners—Will Hold Ratifica­
tion Meeting When trike In Won
OTganlpation Work.
When it comes to giving a concert
for the benefit of the striking miners,
the labor men of Brainerd have their
brothers in the larger cities of the
state completely outdone. Last Fri­
day evening a grand concert and ball
was given under the auspices of the
Brainerd Trades and Labor Assembly
and the net receipts amounted to $313.
The concert of local talent was most
excellent, and the 'dance was largely
attended. In a letter to the Labor
World, our organizer Mr. J. B. Dahin
says that the people of Brainerd ad­
mire that great man, John Mitchell
for his brave and able stand of last
Friday, and when the poor miners win
there will be a grand blow out at
Brainerd.
President Mitchell made quite an
impression with Mr. Roosevelt. Mit­
chell was the one man at the confer­
ence who was never disconcerted or
rattled. Qui,ck as a flash he say his
opportunity and brought his oppo­
nents to bay with a proposal just when
they did not want to meet it. He ma/a
them lose their temper and say petu-
to semi-decency and pave the way to
their ultimate control.
The election of a Democratic lower
house will lead inevitably to the con­
stitutional amendment that shall give
us election of Senators by the people.
It will take away from the trusts the
seats in the senate, some of which they
occupy and a majority of which th«y
ova
j* "VTt?
COAL DESIRE
BEEORE
FERMINATING STRIKE.
TEXT OF PRESIDENT MITCHELL'S LETTER
DECLINING TO ASK MINERS TO RESUME
The following letter was sent by President Mitchell, of the United Mine Workers of America, to President
Roosevelt today, in answer to the suggestion of the president that Mitchell request the miners to resume work
Theodore Roosevelt. President of the United States. Washington. D. C., Dear Sir.—Carrol D. Wright
has no doubt reported to you the delivery of you rrjnessaae to me last Monday and my statement to him
that I should take your suggestion under advisemeint .although I did not look upon it with favor.
Since that time I have consulted with out district presidents, who concur fully in mv views.
We desire to assure you again that we feel keenly the resonpsibility of our position and the gravity of the sit­
uation. and it would give us great pleasure to take any action which would bring this coal strike to an end in a
manner that would safeguard th.e interests of our constituents.
In proposing that there be an immediate resumption of coal mining upon the conditions we suggested in the
conference at the White House we believed that we had flOne more than half way and had met yo wishes.
It is unnecessary in this letter to refer to the malicioua assault upon us in the response of the coal operators.
We feel confident vou must have been impressed with the fairness of our proposition and the insincerity of those
who maligned us.
Having in mind our experience with the coal operator^ in the past, we have no reason to feel any degree of
confidence in their willingness to do us justice in the future, and inasmuch as they have refused to accept the de­
cision of a tribunal selected bv vou and inasmuch as there is no/law through which you could enforce the findings
of the oommittee, you sugqest, we respectfully decline to.fdvise our people to return to work simply upon^ the
hope that the coal operators might be induced or forced to Comply with the recommendations of your commission.
As stated abov*. we believe we went more than half, way in our proposal at Washington and we do not feel
that we should be asked to make further sacrifices.
We appreciate your solicitude for the people of our country who are now and will be subjected to great suf­
fering and inconvenience bv a prolongation of the coal strike -nd we feel th-A on us of this "rible state of
affairs should be placed upon the side which has refused. to defer to fair and impartial investigation.
to remain on strike.until the mine own­
ers grant them some concessions, and
while the reports of these meetings
came pouring in to Wilkesbarre, Presi­
dent Mitchell dictated a letter to tht
president of the United States, in
which he gave his answer to the propo­
sition that the strikers return to work
and trust to have their .condition im­
proved through an investigating com­
mission.
What the answer of the miners' chief
is he refused to divulge, but if Is diffi­
cult to conceive that with the replies
of the local unions piled around him
he could do otherwise than respectful­
ly decline the president's proposition*
Mr. Mitchell seht^I&ttfttef to Wash
iprtoiyfrefoggbhe haAJj&rflfromiirf
is*
noon, accompanied by ttitf three dis­
trict presidents, left for -New York.
His mission there is also a secret. A
rumor spread that a settlement was in
sight. Mr. Mitchell and his colleagues
would not say whom they expected to
meet.
Busy Day for Officials.
It was a busy day for the miners
officials about headquarters. From
early morning until late Wednesday
night the returns came in constantly.
Later the corps of newspaper corre­
spondents stationed here were Invited
to examine the reports, and none was
found that was not couched in firm lan­
guage.
Briefly stated, the resolutions in
these reports affirm the confidence of
the men in the integrity and judgment
of their president, praise President
Roosevelt for his efforts to end the
strike, denounce the presidents of the
coal carrying railroads for their al­
leged abuse of the chief executive at
the conference in Washington, de­
nounce the employment of the coal and
lant things and call names.
Mitchell was terribly in earnest, but
under complete control.
There was no disposition to indulge
in fancy labor talk for effect.
The president has spoken many
times of the splendid manner in which
Mitchell conducted his part of the con­
ference. Since then he has learned
that Mitchell is just as much of a man
of business for his organization as
Baer is for his railroads and coal com­
panies.
Mitchell is playing the game to win.
With him the president of the United
States is a factor, just as Mr. Morgan
is a factor—as Mr. Hanna was a factor
once and may be again. Carefully and
cautiously, he weighs the extremity of
the country and its effects the distress
of the miners and what they may do,
and the implacable hatred of the cap.
italists for his union and how best to
break their resistance. He is not an
enthusiast, nor a fanatic, but a plain
business man in charge of the miners'
union. To preserve his organization
and get more pay for its members if
just as much his business as it is that
of President Baer to break the organ­
ization and pay lower wages. Mitchell
gets $1,800 a year and less when a
strike is in progress. He could earn
ten times as much if he would accept
other positions in commercial life.
Mitchell can be swayed by senti­
ment no more than Morgan can be
moved by prejudice. Mitchell has no
desire to help Roosevelt. He only
wants to use him to win. If politics
were to be considered, doubtless he
would prefer to aid Hanna. If he is to
stop now without Important- results,
he must see his way to be in shape to
begin the flght again with powerful
laws on his side. He knows the power
of trusts to prevent these laws. At
Brainerd Mr. Dahin has succeeded In
organizing several new unions. He has
the teamsters in line with fifteen mem­
bers, and hopes to have the tailors soon
under the banner of their international
•union. The Trades Assembly there is
composed of an able and active set of
men who are working harmoniously to
mtber In the interest of labor. In com­
HOTEL HART. WILKESBARRE. Pa.. Oct. 8. 1902.
I am. respectfully.
JOHN MITCHELL. President U. M. W.
iron police, thank all organizations
and citizens throughout the country
for the financial assistance given, and
denounce Gov. Stone for sending troops
here.
Nearly all the resolutions contained
a sentence to the effect that the men
will remain out "though all the troops
in the United States were sent here,"
until they are granted some conces­
sions.
General Situation Unchanged.
Additional troops for this region
have not yet arrived and the general
strike situation remains unchanged.
The coal company officials have noth­
ing to say, beyond the fact that they
are awaiting developments.
TJheoe is. no Increase h-% *klpmetit
produced. No violence
rya«
Total
Amount sent to miners
Shacks#
reported
yesterday, and, in. fact, Very little'since
the troops were stationed here. Spec­
ulation as to whether the presence of
all the troops will increase the coal
production is still indulged in.
The production since the Ninth regi­
ment has been in this valley has not
increased. And if the resolutions
adopted by the local unions today in­
dicate anything, it is not likely that
much coal will be shipped to market for
some time.
Condition of Labor World Fund.
Amount reported last week $79 00
Bakers' union 25 00
A miners' ^sympathizer 10 00
Typographical union 20 00
D. A. Petre 1 00
C. H. Appleby 2 00
Steam Engineers' union 10 00
Carpenters' Council 10 ftO
$157 00
146 00
Balance on hand $11 00
parison with other towns of the state,
Brairterd is leading according to popu­
lation all other cities. This has been
accomplished in less than six months,
anr simply because everybody is doing
some work there.
COAL OPERATORS
ARE THE ANARCHISTS.
The daily press is supporting the
miners this time more than ever. The
following from the St. Paul News, asks
whf the anarchists really are:
The collossal egotist, President Baer,
wha says he is one of God's stewards
on earth, before the face of the presi-.
dent of the Unitd States brands the
miners as anarchists.
Let us see.
It was the miners who offered arbi-.
tration.
It was the operators who demanded
muskets.
It was John Mitchell who spoke of
industrial peace.
It was President Baer who declared
for war.
It was President Baer who told the
president of the United States to at«
tend to his own business and let the
operators attend theirs, and then
asked for troops to end the strike.
Who, then, are the anarchists?
Is it not a crime against society for
the strong to crush the weak?
An archy of greed at the top of so­
ciety is as dangerous as an anarchy
of poverty at the bottom.
BLACK CHOCOLATE CAKE.
Half a cup of grated chocolate, a gill
of milk, half a cup of brown sugar.
Boil these together until as thick as
cream and let cool. One cup of brown
sugar, half a flVp of butter, two beaten
eggs, two-thirds of a cup of milk van­
illa flavoring. Mix well, beat in the
boiled mixture, add two cups of flour
sifted thoroughly with a heaping .tea
spoonful of baking pow*ier. Bake in
layers, and when cool put together with
boiled frosting. Or you may bake the
cake in a loaf tin and cover the loaf
with chocolate ictus. ?.
:/4
'i£»v*•*%£&
GOOD
ON SORROWS
''Florence Nightingale" of the Miners Tells an Impassionate
Story of the Sufferings of the Oppressed—Attempt to Break
the Spirit of the Women by Evicting Them From Their
7
"If Christ came to America" took ad­
vantage of the best university educa­
tion the country affords, then went
into the anthracite and West Virginia
mining regions he never would be able
to write a book which could properly
convey to the minds of its readers the
horrors that surround the lives of min­
ers. The human tongue cannot tell of
the miseries that blast the lives of
those who earn a living in the bowels
of the earth, nor of the sufferings of
their unfortunate wives and children.
My hair is white and liam burdened
with the weight of, many years, but
while I have strength enougii left to
use my voice it will be lifted in be­
half of those miners whose lives have
been ruined and who have been made
slaves through the avarice of those
who not only believe but declare boldly
they have a divine rigrht to the earth
and the fullness thereof."
A woman of small stature, credited
with having spent tWee-score years and
ten on earth, spoke as above. Her hair
is white, but her form is erect. Fire
flashed from her eyes and her voice
trembled with emotion as she told of
flier experiences with^the miners.
"I have spent years with them," she
said. "I have lived in their homes, have
partaken of their scant, coarse fare
have wept with them by the deathbeds
of their loved ones, have shared their
sorrows, but alas, I cannot say that I
ever rejoiced with them. Joy is un­
known in the mining regions of West
Virginia, as far as the miners and
their unfortunate families are con­
cerned."
The speaker was "Mother" Jones, the
idol of the miners, who have spent the
greater part of her life in an effort to
organize them and improve their con­
dition's. She is lecturing in -several
towns on the conditions of the miners
in the anthracite regions of Penn­
sylvania and in West Virginia.
Auy reference to West Virginia rous­
ed the champion of £he miners.
'"•^ey dtm^f live^
do ititi&y "llv|?
they exist. Harriet peecher Stowe nev­
er drew a picture of slavery that com­
pares with the condrtions of the miners
in West Virginia. The wage slavery
of that state is the blackest page in
American history. I tell you, you peo­
ple in the north can,t realize the
amount of human misery that exists
among the unfortunates with whom
I have made my home for years.
ISSUED BY AUTHORITY OF
mm
REGISTERED
C. W. ERICSON,
o-
I'.
FIVE CENTS.
"How are the miners housed?" atoe
was asked.
"Housed? Housed, did you say?" she
cried. "Why, cattle may have decent
roofs over them, but the shacks they
call homes among the mines of West
Virginia would not be tolerated in the
worst sections of your city. They are
are not houses—they consist of six
boards, a bundle of shingles and half a
pound of nails. Such are the homes
the West Virginia miners when they
are working, but many of them at
present have only heaven for a roof
and the ground for a pillow."
"The coal operators do not propose to
let the strikers indulge in the luxury of
a board roof, and men, woman and
children have been driven out to die
on the mountain sides. At Piney^
Ridge three weeks ago I saw a mother
with her babe, 6 months old throw
out of the shack called home by the
officers of the law. An old, gray head­
ed grandmother was thrown out with
them.
"The feeble old grandmother took
the babe on hen lap and with tears
streaming down her cheeks said: "My
poor babe, how soon they have begun
to persecute you!"
"Three hours later the babe died un­
der God's sunlight. I could recite hun­
dreds of cases just as bad as this.
They thought they would break their
spirits when they threw them out of
the shacks, but the woman and child­
ren in many cases have been giveu
shelter in barns and the men can live
on t'he mountain sides until the fighl
is won.
"The children are the worst suffer­
ers,"she continued, "and their suffer­
ings prompt some of the strikers to
seek employment elsewhere. Just as I
started for Iowa one of the strikers
came to me and said: "Mother, I
would like to stay and fight, but I've
got twins 4 months old and I'm afraid
I'll have tp go and get work some other
plpce so can titir malted milk for ,.
tfcem »r .t&syjll
which I willsend to you and you can/
buy hialled milk-for-the .babes.' Tears'
ran down the cheeks of the poor, fellow
as he grasped my hand and said: 'If
you'll do that mother, I'l stay and flght
to the end. T'hey cant lick us.'
"The miners will win. They have
come to the conclusion that hey might
as well starve striking as working and
they will stick to the last."
MINT
& '•*$&>
UNION LABEL HATS and CAPS. UNION LABEL CLOVES lad SHOES
...ARE YOU AFTER...
UNION LABEL CLOTHING
This store is where you will find the largest assortment of Union
Label goods at papular prices. Made by the largest and best
manufacturers in the country. We were the first firm In the
city to introduce the Union Label on clothing.
Splendid Spring Suits, $10, 516, $18, S25
Neat, Snappy, Up-to-date Spring Over­
coats..... $(0, $12, $15, $20
219 West Superior Street.
Two Floor* Perfect Daylight.
7.. 5 •. 'A.
in 1 1
T*
t-3
-Mi
BELUILE
CLOTIWER.
HOLDING YOUR OWN
Is a pleasure when you can hold it
In the brewing of beer that will com
'pete with the best breweries in this
country or Europe in the manufacture
of pure, rich and creamy bottled beer,
that possesses the qualities of all with
the palatable flavor and strengthening
qualities of the best beer. Try it as
an appetiser and tonic—It Is rood.
DiiMft trcwhf
IM Mittfeg CO.,
EITHER PHONE 241.
43